Gray takes Rochester Ward 6 state rep. seat

ROCHESTER — James Gray will be the new state representative for Ward 6, after receiving 1,345 votes in Tuesday’s election.

Gray, 63, ran uncontested after his Democratic opponent, Jeremy Bourgeois, dropped out of the race about a week before the election.

Gray is a member of the city’s Planning and School boards. He is also a longtime moderator for Ward 6.

Before retiring in 2010, Gray worked as a senior engineering manager for industrial operation at Naval Sea Command in Washington, D.C. He is a Vietnam veteran, having served in the Army between 1967 and 1970, and has previously worked at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in the engineering department.

Prior to the election, Gray said, “My vision is that Rochester remains a city where my grandchildren want to live and raise their families. A city where business wants to locate to take advantage of the reasonable taxes, both state and local, and that provides a well educated workforce.”